Biological activity of extracts from Cupressus lusitanica cell culture

Ethyl acetate extracts of Cupressus lusitanica suspension cell cultures were examined for their biological activities (viz., tyrosinase inhibitory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities). The extract from elicitor-treated cells showed all of the biological activities, whereas the extract from cultures without elicitor was not bioactive to a discernible extent. The biological activities shown by the cell culture extracts were almost solely accounted for by β-thujaplicin contained in the extracts. These results suggest that the ethyl acetate extract of C. lusitanica cells treated with the elicitor is a valuable bioactive source without isolation or purification of β-thujaplicin.